Device for transfer and positioning sealing capsules for feeding a bottle capping machine

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns a device for the transfer of sealing capsules as well as equipment for positioning these capsules and feeding a bottle capping machine to operate this device. The device consists of a hand on which is mounted a nozzle, an arm clamped onto an axle and articulated on the hand, a revolving plate holding the axle loosely mounted; a kinematic linking chain controls the arm but it is disengaged while the capsule is being positioned, the control being then assumed by a cam; a kinematic loose chain (a chain with no connection) maintains the position of the hand, a differential level permitting the introduction of a rotation through 90* by a cam during the positioning of the capsule. The invention applies to the transfer and placing of sealing capsules.

ilnite States Patent 1 Lorieux DEVICE FOR TRANSFER AND POSITIONING SEALING CAPSULES FOR FEEDING A BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE Inventor: Rene Lorieux, Cachan, France La Societe dite CLISALU, Marevil-Sur-AY, France Filed: Oct. 18, 1973 Appl. No.: 407,495

Assignee:

Foreign Application Priority Data Oct. 18, 1972 France 72.36820 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1952 Tesch, Jr. 53/304 X 7/1963 Bruun 12/1971 Jones 53/307 X Sept. 24, 1974 3,629,989 12/1971 Reinecke ..53/306X Primary Examiner-Travis S. McGehee Assistant Examiner-Horace M. Culver {5 7] ABSTRACT The invention concerns a device for the transfer of sealing capsules as well as equipment for positioning these capsules and feeding a bottle capping machine to operate this device.

The device consists of a hand on which is mounted a nozzle, an arm clamped onto an axle and articulated on the hand, a revolving plate holding the axle loosely mounted; a kinematic linking chain controls the arm but it is disengaged while the capsule is being positioned, the control being then assumed by a cam; a kinematic loose chain (a chain with no connection) maintains the position of the hand, a differential level permitting the introduction of a rotation through 90 by a cam during the positioning of the capsule.

The invention applies to the transfer and placing of sealing capsules.

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1. A device for the transfer of sealing caps comprising a hand carrying suction means for holding a cap during transfer, an arm held onto a first spindle, the hand being articulated to its support arm by a second spindle, a turntable held on a shaft which is pivotable in a fixed hub and carrying the first spindle idly mounted thereon, a kinematic chain of -1 ratio controlling the movements of the arm through gearing which causes the chain to be engaged during the taking up of a cap by the suction means and to be disengaged while the cap is deposited onto the neck of a bottle, an exterior cam controlling the movements of the arm, and a kinematic chain of nil ratio maintaining the position of the hand through a plane differential allowing the introduction into the chain, during the placing of the cap of an angular movement with an amplitude of 90*, produced by a fixed cam.
 2. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which the kinematic chain of -1 ratio controlling the mOvements of the arm comprises a toothed wheel mounted on the fixed hub, an intermediate pinion engaging with the toothed wheel and driving a pinion keyed to a one tooth ratchet wheel and idly mounted on the first spindle, a hub carrying a pawl engageable with the ratchet wheel and mounted on the first spindle which carries the arm, the toothed wheel and the pinion having a tooth ratio of 2:1 and the distance between the first and second spindles and between the first spindle and turntable being equal.
 3. A device as claimed in claim 2 in which the arm carries a roller able to roll on the exterior cam.
 4. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which the kinematic chain of nil ratio maintaining the position of the hand contains a pinion mounted on the fixed hub, an intermediate gear wheel engaging with this pinion and driving a first pinion keyed to a second pinion and idly mounted therewith on the first spindle, a toothed wheel engaging with the second pinion and driving a third pinion mounted on the second spindle, which is carried by the arm and on which the hand is mounted, the overall transmission ratio of the assembly of six wheels and pinions being
 1. 5. A device as claimed in claim 4 in which the plane differential of the kinematic chain of nil ratio is constituted by an articulated quadrilateral comprising a compensation bar carrying the intermediate gear wheel and articulated on one side to a small lever and on the other side to a large lever carrying a roller able to roll on the fixed cam, the two levers being articulated on the turntable.
 6. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which the fixed cam has a circular part of large radius, corresponding to the hand being in a vertical position directed downwardly, a circular part of small radius corresponding to the hand being in a horizontal position, and two joining parts and corresponding to the rocking of the hand, one towards the top and the other towards the bottom.
 7. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which the mounting of the suction means on the hand comprises a slide bar carrying a guide able to orientate during its transfer and positioning on the neck of a bottle, a suction block slidable on the slide-bar and carrying the suction means, a roller carried by the suction block and engageable with a cam controlling the movement of the suction block on its slide bar and a recall spring for the suction block biasing the block to a retracted position.
 8. A device as claimed in claim 1 comprising a torsion spring applying the roller of the large lever onto its cam, the roller carried by the arm onto the exterior cam and the hub pawl against the one tooth ratchet wheel.
 9. Apparatus for the transfer of bottles adapted to operate with the cap transfer device claimed in claim 8, comprising a belt or chain conveyor means, a variable pitch screw which regulates the entry speed of the bottles, a rolling track provided with a continuous guide slot, at least one carriage carrying two jaws constituting a pair of pincers able to grasp a bottle, and at least two horizontal guide rollers engaged in the slot in such a way as to insure the guiding of the carriage, and an endless chain for drawing the carriages along.
 10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 in which the guide slot comprises a rectilinear part parallel with the chain, a frustocurved part concave towards the interior, corresponding to the displacement of the bottles towards a bottle capping machine; a second curved part concave towards the outside with its center coinciding with the rotational axis of the heads of the bottle capping machine, the bottle arriving at this point moving at a speed equal to that of the heads, and an intermediate part joining with the beginning of the rectilinear part.
 11. Apparatus for bottle transfer as claimed in claim 10 in which each carriage is joined to the chain by a small articulated push rod which allows the chain to be progressively withdrawn from the outline of the slot so as to increase the slope of the smalL push rod, thereby effecting an acceleration of the movement of the bottle at its entrance to the bottle capping machine.
 12. Apparatus for bottle transfer as claimed in claim 11 in which the carriage carries a bearing in which two hollow co-axial shafts, an interior shaft and an exterior shaft are rotatable, the shafts being respectively joined, at one of their ends each to one of the jaws, and at their other ends each to a lever carrying a roller, a jack being provided which is restrained by a spring and whose stem carries a small push rod provided with slots in which the shaft rollers are slidable, and the arrangement being such that the compression of the jack induces the closure of the pincers constituted by the jaws.
 13. Apparatus for bottle transfer as claimed in claim 12 in which the carriages carry a pair of fixed horizontal rollers, a pair of mobile horizontal rollers, each of which is mounted on a small push rod articulated onto the spindle of a fixed roller, the two pairs of rollers being engaged in the guide slot of the track.
 14. Apparatus for bottle transfer as claimed in claim 13, comprising a compressed air distributor, having a fixed plate provided with four channels, a first and a second channel being connected to a compressed air supply, a third channel being connected to the second via a valve, and the fourth channel being connected with the surrounding atmosphere; and a mobile plate carrying six air distribution parts, joined to the jacks of the carriages capable and of being placed in front of one of the four channels of the fixed plate.
 15. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which a nested stick of beaked caps is positioned in a channel of corresponding shape with the beaks extending into the channel; in which the caps are removed from the stick one by one by means of the transfer device, and each is positioned on the mouth of a bottle according to a constant orientation; and in which the bottles are transferred to a bottle capping machine in such a way that the beaks of the caps have a predetermined orientation, allowing crimping of the caps onto the bottles without affecting any matter printed on the caps. 